Lou

Lou didn't like sandstorms.

Sharp winds made the front walls made of old fabric of his house flutter. The heavy rags barely withstood the wind. Some sand penetrated into the house. Also through the tiny crack that served as a window for Lou. He pressed himself against the stone walls, hoping that the storm would soon pass.

His mother hadn't brought him anything to eat today. The storm had been raging since early morning. And now it was almost evening. His stomach growled angrily. Loud and demanding. He ignored the sound. As always. Lou hoped that the storm would not cause accidents or damage homes. The people in the neighborhood would only blame him again. He was their scapegoat. If something didn't go as planned, it was his fault. His curse.

And the worst thing was, Lou didn't know if it was true or not. Was he happy? No. But perhaps it was enough for him to live for misfortunes to happen. Maybe the curse had grown stronger?

Lou hated his life.

He was skinny, just skin and bones, almost blind, dirty, and full of fleas. That wasn't life. Even the dragon hadn't wanted to eat him. Didn't that say a lot about his lousy existence? Bitterly, he scratched the skin on his arms and tore at his slightly matted hair.  He didn't want to be anymore. Should this be his life? Crouching in a hut waiting for death? Starve to death or be killed? Because that's what people were talking about. Silently and quietly. But Lou heard it anyway. Only the word of the wise stood between him and the desperate inhabitants of his neighborhood.

And if he just disappeared into the sand?

Then no one would need to bother. Then no one needed to act against the word of the wise to get rid of Lou. No one would miss him. Not even his family. His parents would have more food for themselves and Nina. That was good, wasn't it? Sluggishly, he reached for the old cloth with which he always protected his face and sensitive skin. He wrapped it around his head and stood up on shaky legs. His knees protested. Carefully, he felt his way out of his house and into the storm. The wind made him sway. He had to fight for every step. It was difficult for him to open the old wooden door and go out into the wind.

No one would see him go by storm. He would just disappear. This old wooden door of the guardhouse was his direct way into the desert. Into nothingness. To never be hungry again.

The wind blew hot sand into his face and made him cough. He struggled for his breath. But that was exactly what he wanted. He walked slowly, not knowing where exactly. Maybe he fell into the river? He agreed to that as well. He just wanted to disappear forever.

The wind roared at him, making him stagger. Lou fell. He hit the hot sand and gave up. He closed his eyes as the storm made it difficult for him to breathe and sand surrounded him. Sand got into his nose and his mouth. Then he lost consciousness.

---

Lou coughed. He felt hard, cool ground beneath him. His skin burned with pain. Confused, he opened his eyes. Everything around him was dark. He blinked and sat up. His limbs hurt. His skin felt rough and sand trickled out of his hair. "What?" He had to cough. "Where am I? Is there anyone?"

No one answered him. Anxiously, he touched the floor on which he was sitting. He couldn't see anything in the darkness. There were no colors here. No light. Was he in the underworld? Wasn't he even worthy of going to eternal heaven? Did the gods of the sand hate him so much? "Hello?" Slowly, he stood up and felt his way along the wall. Rock.

A cave?

But if he was in a cave, how did he get there? "Hello?"

Suddenly, he heard a faint rumble. Perplexed, he pressed himself tightly against the wall. Was that a dragon? Had a dragon taken him to its cave to eat him? "Hello?", he whispered. "Where are you? If you want to eat me, please do it quickly! I don't like pain."

Again the rumbling sounded. It sounded kind of amused. Lou frowned. He continued to feel his way along the wall. Every step was difficult for him. He heard the wind in front of the cave. The storm was not over yet. Is that why it was so dark?

He was exhausted. Tired. Weak. The ground beneath his bare feet was solid and cold. Sometimes he stepped on small, pointed... Were they bones? He didn't know. Shuddering, he grimaced. Would this become his grave? He continued to grope along the wall with one hand, the other he stretched out in front of him, looking for an obstacle or... He didn't know what awaited him in the darkness. Except for a dragon.  Soon he touched something. Something velvety, warm. Something alive. The dragon? "Oh!" Frightened, he took a step back, tripped over his own feet, and fell on the ground. "Ouch!"

The dragon moved. His footsteps echoed loudly through the cave. Lou sucked in the air sharply. Was that it? Would he be eaten now? Then something touched his belly. Nudged him. "What?" Frightened, he leaned back. The dragon puffed and blew warm air into Lou's face. Then he nudged him again. But this time he lingered, there.

"Huh?" Lou felt for the dragon that had nudged him with its muzzle. He felt the soft scales, his muzzle, nostrils, closed eyes. His hands hurt slightly, but Lou ignored it. "Don't you want to eat me?"

Again the dragon puffed.

"Why don't you answer me? You can also speak in dragon form, can't you? My friend, my only friend, told me that." The dragon raised his head and snorted rumblingly.

"Because you'd be afraid!", he replied. His voice rumbled eerily and inhumanly through the cave. Lou felt the dragon move his mouth on his belly. He was frightened. Now a velvety voice sounded in Lou's head. It gave him a headache. 'Whether I speak telepathically with a human, or loudly. But you humans don't tolerate it well when we talk to you telepathically. You are not made for this magic.' Now the dragon sounded rather annoyed. Especially with the word magic. The words pierced Lou's head terribly.

"Ouch!" Lou trembled. Both were terrifying.

"See?" The dragon smiled. "I'm scaring you."

"You already did that before!", grumbled Lou breathlessly. "Why won't you eat me?"

"That's not why you're here." Something shook the ground. The dragon had laid down. He put his head back in Lou's lap and gasped contentedly. Confused, Lou touched his head again. The scales of dragons were soft. He had imagined them to be smoother and cooler. But the dragon was warm. And his head was quite heavy.

"Why then?"

"Why were you in the storm?"

Lou sighed. "I needed some fresh air?"

"And I'm supposed to believe you? I had to fish you out of the sand. You have minor burns. Everywhere. The sand was too hot. Luckily, they're only light."

"Where are we here?", Lou replied.

"Fine!", growled the dragon. "Don't answer me. This is a small cave. Just outside our caves. I smelled you, in the middle of the storm. That's why I flew off and got you out of the sand. You almost suffocated!"

"Oh." Well. That had been his plan.

"A thank you would be nice."

"Thank you." Lou stroked the dragon's snout. That the dragon let him do this surprised him. But Lou had always wanted to pet a dragon. Even if he was afraid, but... This feeling was only dull. He felt numb. But the dragon was warm and soft. He hadn't met Remy's dragon until today. His friend had promised. But it was not as easy as they had imagined at the time. "And then you brought me here?"

"Exactly. When the storm is over, I'll bring you back. But now it's night. Get some more sleep."

"Here?" Lou grimaced. "The ground is cold!" The ground was also hard, but he was used to that. He slept in his hut only on a mat of dried reeds, which lay on hard stone.

The dragon nudged him again. "Snuggle up to me if you like. I'm warm."

Lou stared at him, perplexed. "What?"

The dragon raised its head. "You can make yourself comfortable on my belly. Come. I won't do anything to you. You will be warm close to me."

"But..."

"Come on!" The dragon sounded amused.

"Where to exactly?" Trembling, he stood up and stretched out his hands to grope for the rest of the dragon's body. Cautiously, he took the first step. Lou didn't feel comfortable doing it. It was too dark. He ran into something. One leg?

"What do you mean?", the dragon asked, pushing his leg aside. "Where to exactly?"

"It's so dark here. I don't see anything."

"Hmm. Nothing? Good... Just keep going. It's just a few steps", the dragon replied.

Lou nodded and walked on cautiously until his hands reached soft scales. Lou scanned the dragon restlessly and apologized for it. He found another leg of the dragon. A rear one. And that meant... The dragon laughed grumbling as Lou withdrew his hands in fright and staggered back a few steps. "Sorry!"

"Never mind!", replied the formidable reptile.

Lou nodded. Then he sat down between the front leg and torso and leaned against the warm side of the dragon. Is that really okay?

The dragon snorted and rolled around him carefully. "Warm enough?"

"I think so", Lou mumbled nervously. With a pounding heart, he closed his eyes and fell asleep shortly after.